Issue
of new PIO card has been discontinued and all PIO card holders with
valid PIO cards as on 9 January, 2015 are deemed to be OCI card
holders. Existing PIO card holders are entitled to convert their PIO
cards to OCI cards free of charge. As OCI card carries more benefits
than PIO card and conversion is free, existing PIO card holders are
advised to avail of the facility. Please follow the link below to
apply for conversion of PIO card to OCI card https://passport.gov.in/oci/capchaActionPIO.
The deadline for conversion of PIO card to OCI card has been extended
to 30 June, 2016.

The
conversion, however, is not mandatory. Existing PIO card holders
would continue to enjoy the benefits of their PIO cards till their
expiry, if they prefer to retain their PIO cards without converting
to OCI cards.